Pride Month Reads

Held in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising, Pride Month celebrates and affirms the worth and vitality of the LGBTQ community. Titles in this collection include notable fiction and nonfiction works by LGBTQ authors and those writing about LGBTQ topics, including Audre Lorde, Douglas Stuart, and Amy Ellis Nutt.

Love, Theoretically

by Ali Hazelwood

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Love, Regret, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Justice, Appearance & Reality, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Mothers, Education, Equality

Tags Romance, Education, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Love, Theoretically Summary

Matrix

by Lauren Groff

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Femininity

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Medieval, Gender & Feminism, World History, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Matrix Summary

Maurice

by E. M. Forster

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Shame & Pride, Social Class

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Maurice (1971) is a coming-of-age novel and love story by English author E. M. Forster. Like much of Forster’s work, it straddles the realist and modernist eras; stylistically, it resembles the literature of the 19th century, but its themes—in particular, its depiction of unconscious experience—anticipate the work of writers like Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence. Drafted between 1913 and 1914, it was not published until 1971—one year after Forster’s death—because of its subject matter;... Read Maurice Summary

M. Butterfly

by David Henry Hwang

Publication year 1988

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Beauty, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Drama

Originally published in 1988, M. Butterfly is a postmodern play by Chinese-American dramatist David Henry Hwang, who also wrote Yellow Face and Bondage. Hwang drew from two sources to compose his text: the 1904 opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini and the historical espionage scandal involving French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu. The play became Hwang’s best-known work and subsequently received the Tony Award for Best Play in the year... Read M. Butterfly Summary

Measure For Measure

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1604

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Justice, Good & Evil, Sexual Identity, Forgiveness, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Comedy & Satire, Jacobean Era, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature

Measure for Measure is a play written by William Shakespeare. It was first performed in 1604 and is considered one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” because of its ambiguous tone that shifts between tragedy and comedy. Shakespeare was a prolific poet and playwright during the Elizabethan and Jacobean era. While his earlier works were primarily comedies and histories, Measure for Measure was written during the period in which Shakespeare began to write many of his most... Read Measure For Measure Summary

Meeting at Night

by Robert Browning

Publication year 1845

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Climate, Beauty

Tags Victorian Era, Poetry: Dramatic Poem

“Meeting at Night” is a lyric love poem by English Victorian poet Robert Browning. It was published early in Browning’s career, in his 1845 collection Dramatic Romances and Lyrics, where it appeared as the first part of a poem titled “Night and Morning.” In 1849, Browning separated it into two poems, titled “Meeting at Night” and “Parting at Morning.” Browning’s poetry is often difficult, but “Meeting at Night” is straightforward to understand. The poem describes... Read Meeting at Night Summary

Memoirs of Hadrian

by Marguerite Yourcenar

Publication year 1951

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Death, The Past, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Fate, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags French Literature, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Memoirs of Hadrian is a fictional autobiography first published in French by Marguerite Yourcenar in 1951. Composed as the reflections of the real Roman Emperor Hadrian, who ruled in 117-138 CE, the book was well-received by critics and readers and is considered Yourcenar’s best work as well as one of the best 20th century French novels. The English version of the Memoirs was translated by Grace Frick, in collaboration with the author, and published... Read Memoirs of Hadrian Summary

Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Guilt, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community, Immigration, Equality, Justice, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

Middlesex is a 2002 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides that tells a multigenerational, epic tale of a Greek family who immigrates to the US. The narrator, Calliope (or Cal) tells the story of how his grandparents, Lefty and Desdemona Stephanides, flee their homeland during a time of war and uncertainty, settling in the US. They harbor a family secret that changes the course of the narrator’s life: They’re brother and sister, and carry a genetic mutation... Read Middlesex Summary

Milk and Honey

by Rupi Kaur

Publication year 2014

Genre Poetry Collection, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Femininity, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Plants, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Self Discovery, Beauty, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Gender & Feminism, Instapoetry, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse

From 2014 to 2024, six million copies of Rupi Kaur’s debut collection, milk and honey, were sold, making it one of the best-selling poetry books of the 21st century. It’s rise to fame is unusual. A Canadian writer of Indian heritage who amassed a large following through social media, Kaur specializes in short, vernacular poems, often made up of only a few lines, which are accompanied by original line drawings. Kaur was at first unable... Read Milk and Honey Summary

Miss Julie

by August Strindberg

Publication year 1888

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags Drama, Naturalism, Scandinavian Literature, Social Class, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Miss Julie is a naturalistic play produced in 1888 by the Swedish playwright and novelist August Strindberg. The play follows the acute romantic entanglement of the three characters: Miss Julie, a young aristocratic woman; Jean, her father’s well-read and well-traveled valet; and Kristine, the cook. Through the psychological battle of wills between Julie and the ruthless Jean, the play explores themes of Class Conflict and Social Hierarchy, Gender Roles and Power Dynamics, and The Complexity... Read Miss Julie Summary

Mom & Me & Mom

by Maya Angelou

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Family, Sexual Identity, Race, Coming of Age, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Love

Tags Gender & Feminism, Race & Racism, Women`s Studies, Biography

... Read Mom & Me & Mom Summary

More Happy Than Not

by Adam Silvera

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Memory

Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

More Happy Than Not (2015) is Adam Silvera’s debut novel. It was well received and marked Silvera’s entrance into the growing field of queer young adult fiction. In the Author’s Note, Silvera speaks about his own sexuality and the difficulty of feeling “wrong” when surrounded by his straight friends. This insight and a deft writing hand have allowed him to produce several books featuring young queer protagonists, such as the acclaimed They Both Die at... Read More Happy Than Not Summary

Murderland

by Caroline Fraser

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Memory, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Place, Family, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags True Crime, Biography

... Read Murderland Summary

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

by Emil Ferris

Publication year 2017

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Coming of Age, Social Class, Sexual Identity, Community, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Siblings, Family, Art, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Race, Fear, Conflict, Beauty, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Loneliness, Grief, Fathers

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture

... Read My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Summary

My Oxford Year

by Julia Whelan

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Literature, Fear, Grief, Hope, Memory, Regret, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, British Literature

... Read My Oxford Year Summary

Naked

by David Sedaris

Publication year 1997

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Siblings, Family, Mental Health

Tags Humor, LGBTQ+, Biography

... Read Naked Summary